farragutpress

Courtney upbeat after Admirals season opener loss

August 27, 2025 by Ken Lay

Jefferson City – Despite seeing his team suffer a seemingly lopsided loss, Farragut High School coach Geoff Courtney was upbeat after viewing the film of the Admirals’ season opener.

“We brought the kids in today and we watched the film, and after seeing it and digesting it, we see some things that we can build on,” Courtney said Sunday after the Admirals dropped a 27-7 decision to Sevier County Saturday night at Carson-Newman University. “I thought we did some good things, but we just didn’t do enough of them to win the game against a very good football team.

“We had several guys who played pretty well, but we just didn’t play well enough to beat a team like Sevier County.”

Saturday night’s contest was the first annual FirstBank Classic, and the Smoky Bears are the defending Class 5A state champions, and they opened the season by notching their 16th consecutive victory.

Farragut managed to score one touchdown, and that came midway through the fourth quarter when Corbin Hobson connected with Max Garfield on a 19-yard touchdown pass.

But, the Admirals had their chances.

“We moved the ball well and we ran the ball well but we just couldn’t get the ball in the end zone, and we didn’t do well on third and fourth down,” Courtney said. “They were like eight or 9-for-11 on third dawn and we were 1-for-11 on third down.

“They were a physical team but I think we were more physical than they were at times.”

Hobson finished 15-for-29 through the air as he amassed 149 yards and threw one touchdown pass. Garfield had six receptions for 80 yards and one score. Nathan Jacobs was the Admirals’ leading rusher, totaling 40 yards on 10 carries.

Defensively, Connor Parris recorded 15 tackles, including seven solo stops to lead the way for Farragut.

The Admirals struggled

in their opener and things won’t get any easier this week as they play another top Class 5A team.

Farragut will play its home opener Friday night as Powell makes a visit to Bill Clabo Field. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

The Panthers, who reached the second round of the playoffs last season before losing to the Smoky Bears, opened their 2025 campaign at home against Anderson County last week in a game that was suspended due to inclement weather and subsequently declared no contest.

Powell, which fell behind 18-0, was down 18-7 when the contest was halted. Quarterback Deuce Rodgers was injured against the Mavericks and his status for this week wasn’t known at press time.

But, Courtney knows coach Matt Lowe and the

Panthers will provide a steep challenge.

“They’re a good physical football team and Matt always wants to run,” Courtney said. “We always look forward to playing them.

“We always look forward to playing these types of games.”